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How to waste a year or two while moving forward
Ultimanecat
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
At the risk of this appearing to be an ego-boosting thread, I do have a somewhat serious question about what to do with myself in general.
I'm a bit of a drifter, I have trouble feeling settled, and I have had spates of bad luck when I really set down and resolve myself to do anything.
In high school, my chances of going straight to college were shot by a pair of teachers whom I didn't get along with. In the end, it worked out for the best because I ended up going to a one year prep school abroad, but it began a trend of souring me to academia and - in the greater scheme of things - placing my fate in others' hands. For instance, I spent the first two months of my time in a foreign country in a remote fishing village instead of going to school because of a clerical error that only got resolved after incessant complaints.
I eventually made it back to the USA, went to a JC, and transferred to a major university. I was set to graduate cum laude, but failed a course in my last quarter. I don't know why to this day I failed the course - it was the only grade lower than a single C+ I received in my entire time at university, and my GPA for the rest of the quarter was 3.5 / 4.0. I contested the grade, but the professor refused to raise it or even review it and her department deemed that only she was qualified to award a grade in that subject area; in that case, the university could only offer to change the F to a W.
This had two effects: firstly, I missed my expected graduation date and received no honors. Secondly, I had been offered a job working in another country, but had to withdraw when it became clear that I couldn't start on the date the contract began.
I guess I sound a bit whiny, but it's been over a year now and I'm a bit disillusioned and don't know quite what to do with myself. I applied to a few graduate schools, but I'm a bit doubtful that I'll get in - and even if I do, I absolutely hate the idea of becoming embroiled in more academic hubris. In any case, I want to do something with myself for the time being. What are some ways for a college graduate to delay the inevitable? Should I just apply and go to schools that I know I can get into? Are there ways I can prolong my time until I go back to school that won't make me look like a waste of space on my applications?
I'm seriously considering joining the French Foreign Legion...I doubt I will, but in any case I'm listless and want to do something interesting with myself. Ideas?
I'm a bit of a drifter, I have trouble feeling settled, and I have had spates of bad luck when I really set down and resolve myself to do anything.
In high school, my chances of going straight to college were shot by a pair of teachers whom I didn't get along with. In the end, it worked out for the best because I ended up going to a one year prep school abroad, but it began a trend of souring me to academia and - in the greater scheme of things - placing my fate in others' hands. For instance, I spent the first two months of my time in a foreign country in a remote fishing village instead of going to school because of a clerical error that only got resolved after incessant complaints.
I eventually made it back to the USA, went to a JC, and transferred to a major university. I was set to graduate cum laude, but failed a course in my last quarter. I don't know why to this day I failed the course - it was the only grade lower than a single C+ I received in my entire time at university, and my GPA for the rest of the quarter was 3.5 / 4.0. I contested the grade, but the professor refused to raise it or even review it and her department deemed that only she was qualified to award a grade in that subject area; in that case, the university could only offer to change the F to a W.
This had two effects: firstly, I missed my expected graduation date and received no honors. Secondly, I had been offered a job working in another country, but had to withdraw when it became clear that I couldn't start on the date the contract began.
I guess I sound a bit whiny, but it's been over a year now and I'm a bit disillusioned and don't know quite what to do with myself. I applied to a few graduate schools, but I'm a bit doubtful that I'll get in - and even if I do, I absolutely hate the idea of becoming embroiled in more academic hubris. In any case, I want to do something with myself for the time being. What are some ways for a college graduate to delay the inevitable? Should I just apply and go to schools that I know I can get into? Are there ways I can prolong my time until I go back to school that won't make me look like a waste of space on my applications?
I'm seriously considering joining the French Foreign Legion...I doubt I will, but in any case I'm listless and want to do something interesting with myself. Ideas?
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Don't go to graduate school: you're applying because you feel like it's something to do, not something you actually want to do, and it's going to be a waste of time and money for all involved.
Get a job.
I currently have a job (teaching), and it's about the highest pay I've seen for someone in this area with my skillset (i.e. it doesn't pay a whole lot, but then again I'm not that skilled). It's enough to get by somewhat comfortably - as long as I stay single.
Well, my dating life is a whole different kettle of fish, but let's just say that in my experience I always end up spending significantly more money when I'm in a relationship (and I've yet to be in a relationship in which I've pooled my finances with another).
I'm not necessarily insistent on getting another degree...I just don't know what else to do at this point. My current degree won't do much for me on its own, so it seems that it'd probably be a good idea to press forward. Problem is, I don't really know what I want to do.
My life isn't bad by any means. It's just kinda meandering right now since I have no clear goals. Not having goals seeps into my private life, makes me feel like a bit of a waste, and that attitude probably is picked up on by others. Is there anything I can do for a year or two that can help me set my story straight other than just working at a job to pay the bills?
Your teaching and experiences traveling abroad would probably be valued.
The application process can take up to nine months and involves recommendations and an interview. Perspective volunteers can list regions where they would prefer to serve in and refuse an invitation to serve in a country in order to wait for an assignment in a different country.
Applicants must be Americans and at least 18 years old. There is no upper age limit. Most volunteers have at least a Bachelor’s degree, while those without have relevant work experience.
Training is three months in country and is rigorous. It includes language, cross-cultural, technical, and health components.
Assignments are for 24 months and are in the areas of education, health/HIV AIDS, environment, agriculture, and business development.
The money isn't awesome; usually it's airfare, housing in-country, and a pretty good stipend for the country you're living in. When you return to the US you'll receive a ~6000$ bonus to re-acclimate you to life here. You can take a trip or buy a used car; anything you like.
It's a great opportunity for personal growth. You'll want an optimistic outlook, the ability to be flexible, and lots of patience. A good sense of humor will serve you well :P.
I'm oversimplifying here, of course. But you wrote one short message and it's practically oozing with resignation and melodrama. Your future options are graduate school or...the French Foreign Legion? Are you serious?
First, let go of any notion you might have that people are out to get you. Nearly nobody is "out to get" anybody else, let alone a perfect stranger. At worst, people are either incompetent, ambivalent, or selfish. Being out to get somebody is actually a lot of work, and in general even the worst examples of humanity won't spare the time or energy to actively make your life miserable.
In your post, you cite three examples of bad things that have happened to you. First, you had a conflict with two teachers. Then, it took you two months to straighten out a clerical error. Third, you had a conflict with a professor. Sounds a lot like personality conflicts abound in your life. Do you think this is true or am I way offbase? Serious question: how often do you find yourself feeling angry when dealing with other people?
The point is, maybe just finding something to occupy your time isn't going to solve the problems you've got going on in your life right now. If it's something productive, it wouldn't hurt though. Is there something you're passionate about? Is there something you're particularly good at? It is always a good idea to find something that you're good at and work on that. It's a way of overcoming adversity - not adversity heaped on you by others, but the adversity that comes from the challenge of doing something that isn't easy, failing occasionally, but working toward success incrementally.
If you don't know what you're passionate about (and something like 50% of people can't identify it when asked) then that does suck a little bit. It's such a common phenomenon that there are articles written about it (manly article, girly article). These have some good general advice.
I'll add this: a lot of people try to find their passion and set goals based on an outcome. They say "my goal is to be a senior video game designer" or "my goal is to be an NFL quarterback" or some far-off dream that may or may not be achievable for them. Their passion is focused on that end result and sort of skips over the long journey between where they are and that distant goal. This is a terrible way to plan your life. The question you need to ask is: what could you be doing tomorrow or next week that is going to get you excited? What is something you can do right now that would be a good reason to get out of bed tomorrow? It honestly doesn't matter whether this has a long-term outcome of any sort. If you can find something that gets you out of bed, and you can start doing that, then you're well on your way.
Try doing nothing, but read a bit more. As cheesy as it sounds, the book "What Should I Do With My Life?" has 40 stories of people who had a difficult time answering that question and who ultimately figured it out, and it helped me a lot.
Sometimes the answer was there all along and you aren't ready to acknowledge it; and sometimes there's something you didn't even know existed (lifestyle, career, hobby, etc.) that you'll discover with time and with age.
Food for thought.
Yeah, I've considered the Peace Corp. However, there is one important disclaimer to applicants, and it is a requirement I cannot feasibly meet. I won't get into it here, but if you have applied yourself, then you know that it is one of the first things they ask you. (Hint: it had something to do with the job I almost got).
There is some truth to that. I just don't consider myself very lucky when it comes to dealing with educators (which is unintentionally silly since I am one myself). I don't blame anybody but myself for where I'm at right now - even if everything worked out fine for me in those cases, I still would have very little idea of what I want to do with myself. I'm not paranoid, I just don't like to be measured by subjective yardsticks because my personality and style are not going to appeal to everyone, and in those cases where that happens and the other person holds some authority over me, it likely isn't going to turn out well. Those situations were really just minor setbacks in the grand scheme of things, but I think it's fair that I justify why I don't have much faith in education.
All I know is that I love to travel, I have good copings skills and can adjust to near anything, and am okay at writing, teaching, and being social, but don't really enjoy them.
I'm not depressed. Yet. I've had depression and I'm not really nearing that level. I'm just trying to think of something to do with myself before I go stir crazy and join the Foreign Legion out of boredom.